Spool support systems have been commonly employed to rotationally mount spools bearing such diverse products as fishing line, wire, rope, string, chains, etc. In spite of this wide variety of products, prior art spool support systems have failed to satisfy all of the user's needs and requirements. This failure is particularly apparent with fishing line spool support systems, wherein failures typical to all product-bearing spools are found.
In order to assure that a fishing reel contains the precise type of fishing line needed for the type of fish being sought, fishermen have often purchased various types of fishing line in bulk on large spools. Then, depending upon the particular fish being sought at any time, the fishing line is transferred from the spool to the fishing reel for use.
Although many individuals attempt to transfer the fishing line from the supply spool to the fishing reel by merely mounting the spool on an elongated rod or dowel, such an arrangement is undesirable, due to various unwanted problems that are typically encountered. In particular, the fishing line being loaded onto the fishing reel should be transferred under a particular, desired tension, so that the supply of fishing line on the reel will be tight and compact. In addition, the supply spool should be mounted in a single, fixed position so that the fishing reel can be loaded with the fishing line in a straightforward, uniform manner, thereby preventing unwanted kinks or improperly overlapped or coiled arrangements.
Although various prior art attempts have been made to satisfy these requirements for transferring fishing line to a fishing reel, these prior art attempts have failed to meet all of the requirements. Furthermore, these prior art systems have failed to provide a single, universal support system which is capable of accommodating numerous alternate spool sizes.
Another difficulty typically encountered with prior art structures is the inability to provide a reliable and easily employable clutch plate or friction plate which enables the user to control the rotation of the spool during the loading operation. Although various attempts have been made in the prior art systems to meet this requirement, these prior art systems are incapable of providing repeatable, reliable control.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a product bearing spool support system which is universally employable for substantially all product bearing spool sizes and configurations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a universal product bearing spool support system having the characteristic features described above which is easily adjusted to repeatedly and reliably control the speed of rotation of the spool during the product bearing transferral operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a universal product bearing spool support system having the characteristic features described above which is mountable to virtually any location, quickly and easily.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a universal product bearing spool support system having the characteristic features described above which is also securely mountable in any desired orientation.
Other and more specific objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.